


Rough Diamond

by MysteriousMew



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Adventure, Angst, British Slang Is Hard, F/M, Fluff, Romance, mostly sfw, some nsfw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:34:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23906260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysteriousMew/pseuds/MysteriousMew
Summary: Being the youngest of six, Gloria Aegis tended to hang back as her siblings shone. But with graduation coming up at the end of summer, she still doesn't have a clue what she wants to do in life. Perhaps that'll change when she goes on the Gym Challenge with her childhood friend, Hop. Will she find the answer to the question? Or will she fade further away? Being a teen shouldn't be this dramatic.Pokemon Sword and Shield fic. Creating a playlist on Spotify of all songs used in the chapters. Please, give it a chance. I'm stuck inside cause COVID-19 be ruining my life.
Relationships: Hop/Yuuri | Gloria, Masaru | Victor/Sonia, Raihan x reader
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Prologue - My Gallant Star

** Rough Diamond **

** Prologue: **

** My Gallant Star **

**_Postwick, Galar…_ **

She had been seven when she had met the mysterious guardian of Slumbering Weald. It had not even been on purpose—a complete accident even. All she was trying to do was help the Rookidee that had fallen out of the sky.

She had been playing with Growlie in her front yard on sunny morning. The small fire pup was a little over four months old and a rambunctious puppy at that. While her mother’s Arcanine was busy running delivering the bouquets to Wedgehurst and Motostoke, she would look after the small puppy.

Picking up a small stick, she waved it to catch his attention. “Growlie, fetch!” she exclaimed, throwing the stick as hard as her small arms could. It flew a decent few meter and the pup ran to grab it. As she waited for Growlie to bring the stick back, she noticed a small flock of Rookidee flying above.

“Growl,” Growlie barked, getting ger attention. She smiled and grabbed the stick out of his mouth, patting his head.

“Wouldn’t it be cool to fly?” she asked the puppy who wagged his tail. Giggling, she went to throw the stick again when a sharp cry interrupted her. Looking to her left, her eyes widened as one of the small Rookidee fell from the sky and into the Slumbering Weald. Discarding the stick, she ran to the gate that kept the path closed.

“Growl!” Growlie barked, grabbing the bottom of her dress with his mouth, and tugging her away. She kept a firm grip on the wooden gate, shaking her head at the Pokémon.

“It could be hurt! We have to check it out,” she told the fire puppy who shook his head. “I know we’re not supposed to…but papa says we have to always help those in need. That birdie needs our help.”

Growlie still looked unsure as she slipped through the small gap on the right. He began barking and whining, scratching at the wood. Smiling, she stuck her hand through and patted his head.

“Stay here and keep watch. I’ll be back soon,” she promised, pulling her hand back and running into the woods. The further she went in, the darker it became and thick with fog. The sounds of many different Pokémon cries, singing their tunes. Her eyes widened, taking in the sights surrounding her. Barely any sunlight managed to breakthrough the thick leaves on the dozens of trees. The air was cool, a slight breeze running through and stirring up the leaves on the ground.

She should have been afraid. But she was in awe of the natural, untouched beauty that was the Slumbering Weald.

A pained chirp brought her back to focus and she carefully followed the sound. Keeping quiet, she soon found the source of the sound—the Rookidee. It was laying beside a large, sharp rock and clutching it’s wing.

“Hi,” she said quietly, getting onto her knees. It’s red eyes glared at her, pressing its back against the rock. “No, no, it’s okay. I want to help you. You’ve hurt yourself pretty bad,” she outstretched a hand. “Will you let me help you?”

It stared at the hand for a few moments, pulling its injured wing closer to its body. The act caused it to wince in pain and it looked at her. She smiled at the small bird, hoping it would let her assist it. Slowly, it hopped over and stepped into her hand.

She carefully brought it closer and gently inspected its wing. “It looks broken to me. I’ll take you home and get Nikki to take a look at it,” she told the small bird, rising to her feet. “She’s my big sister and she wants to be a doctor. She’ll know what to do.”

“Rook,” it chirped in response and she giggled. Seeing that she had accomplished her mission, all that was left was to get back home. Unfortunately, she did not remember the way.

“I think we’re lost,” she murmured, glancing around at her surroundings for something familiar. “Do you know the way out?”

Rookidee shook its head.

“Well…we’ll have to just walk on until we find the exit,” she said, motivating herself as she walked onwards. However, after a few minutes, there were still dozens of trees and no end in sight. Glancing at a nearby tree, she assessed the number of branches and figured could climb it. If she climbed to the top, maybe she’d have an idea of where she was.

Just as she went to put the bird down, a low growl caught her attention. Looking over, she found herself face to face with a large, scarred, dog-like Pokémon. It yellow eyes moved from her to the small, injured bird in her hand.

Lowering its nose, it sniffed the Rookidee curiously.

“It fell from the sky and landed on a sharp rock. It’s hurt really bad,” she explained to the Pokémon who returned its gaze onto her. The way it looked at her reminded her of Nikki. “I want to take it home to treat it, but we’re lost. Could you show us the way out?”

It huffed, walking past her and she watched it. It paused, looking back at her expectantly and she beamed.

“Thank you,” she said, following after it. It did not take long for her to see the exit, where she could hear Growlie barking and her mother’s voice calling out for her.

“Gloria! Where are you? Gloria!” she heard her mother call out. Turning back to thank the Pokémon, her smile fell when she discovered it had disappeared.

“Rook,” the bird chirped, bringing her back and she nodded.

“We’ll thank it another time,” she told the bird, stepping into the clearing as her mother ran over to her. “Mama, I found an injured bird.”

“Gloria, you know you’re not supposed to go in there,” her mother scolded as Gloria slipped through the fence, cradling Rookidee carefully in her hand. “I was worried sick about you!”

Her shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry mama,” she apologised as her mother sighed, crouching down. “But Rookie needs help.”

Her mother looked at the bird, noticing how it clutched its wing. “Bring it inside. We’ll fix ‘em right up and be flying in no time,” she said, rising to her feet and ushering her daughter inside.

* * *

**Song: Mo Ghile Mear (My Gallant Star) by Celtic Woman.**

**This is my HopxReader fanfic because I'm bored from being stuck inside and felt productive. Also love this shit out of Sword and Shield and cannot WAIT for the expansions. Please, give this fic a chance and enjoy it. Comments are always appreciated and tend to get writers to post more work. Just saying...**


	2. Chapter One - Supergirls Let Go

** Chapter One: **

** Supergirls Let Go **

**_Watchtower R uins, Galar…_ **

**_Ten Years Later…_ **

Her fingers smoothed along the stone, looking for a small gap. Discovering one high on her left, she gripped it tight and proceeded to continue to scale along the wall. Her muscles burned, sending a warm heat through her body as she continued to climb.

“Corv.”

She glanced up, seeing Rookie sitting comfortably along the edge, almost smirking at her. Rolling her eyes, she scaled the rest of the tower and joined him at the top.

“Flying doesn’t count. I’d like to see you climb,” she told him, placing her bag down. Romie flew around, snapping photos of the incredible view. “Getting some good shots?”

“ **Yeah! Did you want me to upload them to your Snapgram?** ” the Rotom asked as she dug out her sketchbook.

“Later,” she answered, studying the landscape for a few minutes. The breeze blew gently through the Wild Area, moving through the dozens of meadows below. Pokémon of all types and shapes were out and about. From the lakes, land and in the air…it was the untameable Wild Area. No matter how many years pass and how many times she explores it, Gloria knows she’s only discovering a tiny glimpse of it.

Her pencil began to move, putting her image onto the paper.

She had been so absorbed into her work that she failed to notice the passing of time. It wasn’t until Rommie alerted her to an incoming call did she break out of the zone.

“ **Nikki is calling** ,” the ghost Pokémon alerted her, appearing in front of the sketchpad. Pausing, she put the pencil down as the Rotom accepted the phone call.

“ _If you’re done sitting up there, come down and have some lunch_ ,” Nikki told her as Gloria glanced over the edge. At the bottom of the ruined tower, stood her sister with her Lopunny holding a picnic basket. Gloria waved as Rommie ended the call. Packing up, the teen put her gloves on as Rookie stood on the grappling hook.

Having done it hundreds of times before, Gloria easily abseiled down the tower as Rookie continued to keep the hook in place. Once she had her feet on the ground, he flew down with the hook in his claw.

“How long were you up there today?” Nikki asked as Gloria packed away the rope.

“Not sure. I got here around seven-ish this morning,” she answered, glancing at the swollen belly her sister was sporting. “Are you sure you’re not carrying twins?”

Nikki laughed as Lopunny laid out the picnic blanket. “Positive. Rai would have a stroke if it were more than one bun,” she replied, accepting her sister’s help to sit down. She released two more of her Pokémon out of their balls, a Ninetails she got when she was in Alola and Luxray. The two sat close by, enjoying the sunlight.

They chatted about everything and anything, catching up on all of the latest news within their family. Nikki was the only sibling she had that still lived in Galar. Their eldest brother, Teddy was still posted in Almia from the last time Gloria spoke to him.

“Evie, Charlie and Victor mentioned they were coming back next month,” Nikki brought up, earning a frown from the youngest child. “They’ll be staying over the Gym Challenge season.”

Gloria groaned, laying back on the picnic blanket. “I’m not participating. I’ve told mum and da that and I’m _tired_ of repeating it.”

“Ria, you’re graduating school soon. Do you know what you want to do?”

“No but—”

“Then _participate_ in the challenge. It’ll be a good way for you to keep yourself occupied over the summer and figure out what you want to do. It’ll keep mum and pa off your back for a while,” Nikki suggested, sending her sister a wink when she sat up. “And it’ll be nice to have the others home for a while.”

“Teddy’s not coming?” Gloria asked, hugging her knees and resting her chin on top.

Nikki shook her head. “Unfortunately, he and Kate are still cleaning up the mess from that terrorist group. But he did promise to visit when this little guy is born,” she stroked her large belly, smiling down at it.

“You’re gonna be a great mum,” she told her sister after they packed up their lunch.

“Aye, I better be. I had you to practice on,” she pinched her sister’s cheek, laughing at Gloria’s attempt to swat her hand away. “You heading home?”

“I promised mum I’d help out,” the teen nodded, walking with her sister back to Motostoke City. They parted ways at the train station, with Nikki taking one back to Hammerlocke. Gloria stood on the platform, waiting for her train with Rookie resting on her shoulder.

The station was almost empty, it being a slow hour of the day. Something she wasn’t going to complain about. It was nice to have some room as she texted her mother that she was on her way back.

 _Participate in the challenge. It’ll be a good way to keep yourself occupied over the summer and figure out what you want to do_.

 _Arceus, I still don’t know what I want to do,_ she thought, biting her bottom lip. That was the hardest part about being the youngest of a large family. The pressure to graduate with top marks and have her future mapped out. Gloria didn’t know what she wanted to do in life and the rush to decide wasn’t helping. _Maybe the challenge can help._

“Corv,” Rookie tapped his beak against her cheek, bringing her out of her thoughts as the train pulled up. She scratched his side as she climbed aboard.

**oOo**

**_Three Weeks Later…_ **

“—Graduation will be held at the end of summer. Pick up your gowns from the office this afternoon,” the teacher informed them from behind his desk. “A reminder to those who are hoping to participate in the Gym Challenge for the season. You’ll need a letter of endorsement and no, your parents do not count, Michael.”

A few snickered as the class was dismissed. Gloria was gathering her things when Hop leaned against her desk. From his smirk and bright yellow eyes, he was up to something.

“If it’s illegal, your mum will kill us,” she reminded him, rising to her feet.

“Nah, nothing like that. You said Charlie’s coming home today,” he said, and she nodded. He threw an arm around her shoulders as they headed out of the classroom. “Then let’s get our gowns and head off. I wanna see all the eeveelutions he’s got.”

“Hop, Gloria!” Samantha called out as they paused in the hallway. “I heard you two are entering this season.”

Hop straightened up, grinning. “Aye, you’re looking at your future champion. I’ll be knocking the crown off Lee’s head,” he boasted as Gloria elbowed his side.

“Is Leon going to sponsor you both?” she asked, glancing at the brunette. “I understand him sponsoring Hop, but—”

“—He’ll sponsor Ria. He’s known her since we were toddlers,” Hop interrupted firmly, and she held her hands up in defence. “See you at graduation, Sam.”

“You too,” she replied before skipping off down the hall.

Hop squeezed her into his side, smiling down at the teen. “Don’t worry about her, mate. Lee’s gonna sponsor both of us,” he reassured her as she rolled her eyes.

“Raihan could sponsor me too. You know he’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“Oh! Imagine if he did, we’d be the second gen rivals.”

She laughed, pulling away and walking backwards. “You are dead set on us being rivals,” she commented as he shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “How’s Wooloo doing after his grand adventure?”

“Fine. Apparently, he ended up in Tuffield,” he answered as they headed to front office. They grabbed their gowns and left, saying their goodbyes along the way. Hop was itching to get to Wedgehurst, practically dragging the brunette along with him. As soon as they stepped off of the train, the teen had sprinted ahead.

“Hop!” Gloria called out as he ran around the corner. Shaking her head, she followed after, jogging towards the research centre. When Charlie called her last week, he told her he’d be helping out at Professor Magnolia’s lab. Apparently is was part of an exchange between Magnolia and Professor Rowan to swap assistants.

When she stepped into the lab, she found an Eevee and its seven evolutions running around with Sonia’s Yamper and Wooloo. The pokeball in her pocket vibrated as Rookie released himself.

“Wow,” Gloria commented, spotting her brother coming down the stairs. “It’s like the day-care in here.”

“Just prettier,” Charlie agreed with a laugh, hugging his sister tightly. “Good to see you’re still the midget.”

“Oi, watch it you nerd,” she warned as he winked. “Has Hop been a maniac?”

Charlie put his hands in his coat pockets. “Aye. He’s even tried to convince me to part with Glaceon over there,” he nodded his head at the younger teen who sat cross-legged on the floor. Glaceon and Espeon were climbing into his lab while Flareon climbed onto his back. “Which is not happening.”

“Aw come on, mate! You’ve got plenty of Pokémon with you.”

“Don’t be daft and catch your own,” he shot back, glancing at his sister. “But I hear Leon’s back in town tomorrow. Da says he’s grabbing some Pokémon off him to give you two.”

“He told me this morning,” Hop confirmed, gazing at the brunet. “Do you know which ones? Cause your da has a lot.”

“It’ll be a surprise, I’d imagine,” Gloria crossed her arms over her chest and looked at her brother. “You coming ‘round for tea?”

“You bet your arse. I’ve missed mum’s beef stew. Sinnoh is great and all but I do miss a good serving of chips.”

* * *

**Songs: Supergirl by Stefania. Let Go from Bratz Forever Diamonds. I've got a Spotify playlist called Rough Diamond Playlist if y'all wanna check out the music I listen to for this fanfic.**


	3. Chapter Two: It's Alright, I'll Be There

** Chapter Two: **

** It’s Alright, I’ll Be There **

**_Next Morning…_ **

Downstairs was lively for once as she headed down, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The smell of cooked bacon had her stomach growling as she wandered into the kitchen.

“Morning mum,” Gloria greeted, grabbing a mug from the rack. “Is the kettle still hot?”

“Aye just used it five minutes ago,” Kathleen answered, accepting the kiss on her cheek. “Evie still asleep?”

“ _Oui, cher_ ,” Gerald answered, appearing in the kitchen, and grabbing plate of food. “Jet lag. _Bonne matinée_ , Ria.”

“ _Bonne matinée_ , da,” she greeted, kissing his cheek and grabbed another mug. “You want a coffee?”

“Oh, that sounds good. Charlie, Victor, did you two want a cup?”

“Tea,” they both chimed as she poured a few more cups. Gloria took the cups in whilst Kathleen slowly brought in breakfast as the others sat at the table. The morning newspaper sat in front of her father’s seat, ready and waiting to be read.

“Lee and Raihan’s match is on,” Victor announced, turning on the TV. He flicked through the channels until he landed on the sports channel and sat back. “Isn’t he coming ‘round later?”

“Aye. And we’re having dinner with the Greys,” Kathleen informed them as footsteps came down the stairs. “Breakfast is on the table, Evie.”

“Thanks mum,” Evie yawned, entering the lounge room. Her black hair was sticking up in all places.

“Sleeping Beauty’s finally up,” Charlie teased as she sat down, and Gloria passed her a cup of tea.

“Shove it up your arse,” she flipped him off, earning a look from their mother.

“Leave her be,” Kathleen told Charlie who held his hands up in surrender. They all began digging into their breakfast, chatting amongst themselves while the match was on. “That reminds me. Victor I need you to pick your sister up from the station this afternoon.”

Victor paused, holding his cup in mid-air. “Raihan not joining us for tea?”

“Unfortunately, not. He’ll be busy with the league preparing for the upcoming season. I don’t want Nikki alone this late into her pregnancy,” Kathleen said, cutting into her bacon. “I want my grandson safe and sound.”

“Arceus, you’re going mental with the baby. He’s not even born yet.”

“I don’t see you giving me a grandchild anytime soon, so shush it,” she shot back. Charlie snickered and Kathleen whirled onto him. “Don’t be cheeky. You can’t even find a nice girl to settle down with.”

“Why are you on me?” he complained as the front door opened.

“Hello, hello,” Hop’s voice rang out from the entrance.

“In here, love,” Kathleen called as the young teen entered the lounge room. “Morning, Hop. You want some breakfast?”

“I’m good, thanks. Mum’s already filled me up. I came to get Ria,” he said, leaning on the back of her chair. He glanced at the TV, seeing the match. “Lee beat him again?”

“Like always,” Victor answered as Gloria drained the rest of her tea. “He got close though. Had him down to Charizard,” he sipped his tea and looked at the pair. “Excited for your Pokémon?”

Hop nodded, grinning widely. “Barely slept a wink. What’d you give him, Gerald?” he asked, glancing at Gloria’s father who was reading the newspaper.

“ _Divulgacher_ , Hop,” Gerald responded as Gloria rose from her seat. Grabbing the dishes, she headed into the kitchen with Evie behind her. The two washed and dried the dishes, hearing the animated discussions from the lounge room.

“Nikki told me that you’re having trouble deciding what to do after graduation,” Evie said, drying the plate Gloria offered to her. “Why not take up an art degree? Da says your drawings are brilliant.”

“Yeah but what kind of job can I get with an art degree?” she asked, scrubbing the fry pan. “I need something that can guarantee a stable job. Something that says ‘hey, you won’t be broke’.”

Evie tilted her head slightly. “There’s plenty of work. You could be a graphic designer. Or even take over the day-care. Da’s hoping to keep it in the family.”

“Or I could travel for a bit. See the world,” Gloria suggested with a shrug of her shoulders, handing her over the last plate and draining the sink. “Did you always know what you wanted?”

“Arceus, no. I wanted to be a lawyer at first. And then I realised how boring and stifling that job was,” Evie laughed, putting the last dish away. “Going on my journey helped me figure it all out. You have time.”

Slowly, Gloria nodded, moving to hug her sister. “Thanks,” she murmured into her shoulder.

“Just doing my job,” she squeezed tightly before patting her back. “Go and get dressed. You’ve got to meet with Lee at the station or else he’ll end up in Kanto with his shit sense of direction.”

She laughed, leaving the kitchen and ran upstairs. Rookie was now awake, sitting comfortably on his perch. He was cleaning himself as she got dressed in a simple pink button dress and threw the grey cardigan over the top.

“Ready to get going?” she asked, grabbing her brown bag.

“Squi,” Rookie confirmed, shaking himself off and hopped over to the open window.

“I’ll see you down there,” Gloria said, leaving her bedroom. Hop waited at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground. “Settle down, I’m here.”

“I don’t want to be late! I haven’t seen Lee in months,” he complained as they left her house. Travelling down the dirt path, the many cries of nearby Wooloo echoed across the valley. Rookie flew ahead with Hop’s Wooloo chasing underneath. “He’s still growling like Lee’s Charizard.”

“Why is that a bad thing? It’s freakin’ adorable to hear it,” she said as Rookie returned, flapping his wings. “Is Lee there?”

“Corv,” he confirmed as Hop grabbed her wrist.

“Better step on it before his fans drown him,” the teen commented, jogging down the dirt road and dragging her with him. As they got closer, the crowd surrounding the station got bigger. It seemed all of Postwick and Wedgehurst had gathered to meet the champion. “That’s gonna be hard to get through.”

“Then we’re just gonna have to be patient,” she said, removing her wrist and crossing her arms over her chest. It took about two minutes before Hop became too impatient to wait as he hollered at him.

“Lee!” the young teen shouted over the crowd, waving his arms up to grab his brother’s attention. It seemed to work as Leon moved through the crowd, smiling at his younger brother.

“So, my number one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up,” Leon commented with Charizard not far behind him. “Look at you,” he marvelled, placing both hands on Hop’s shoulders. “I reckon you’ve grown…exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you.”

“Yeah, he’s finally taller than me,” Gloria joked, earning an elbow to her side from her friend. Leon turned to her, smiling down at the smaller teen.

“Ria, still climbing everything in sight?”

“I haven’t climbed your brother if that’s what you’re hoping.”

Both of the Grey men had red faces at her comment, with Hop making weird noises that shouldn’t be possible to make from one’s mouth. Leon just hid his face with his hat, no doubt trying to be anywhere but there.

“Ria!” Hop complained as she shrugged her shoulders. He shook his head furiously, lightly hitting both cheeks before staring at his older brother. “Whatever! Bet I can beat the both of you back home,” he challenged before sprinting away.

“What happened to a countdown?” Leon called after him, sighing and sharing a smile with the brunette. “He never changes.”

“Consistency is his charm,” she agreed with a laugh as the pair began jogging back up the dirt road and back to Postwick. As expected, the minute Leon showed up his parents home, his mother ambushed him. Theresa monopolised her eldest son’s time—much to Hop’s chagrin. Then Victor and Charlie came around and the three friends began catching up.

It took about four hours before Hop exploded and dragged his brother outside to the small, makeshift battle ground in the Grey’s front yard.

“Come on, Lee! You promised us a present,” Hop reminded him, releasing the hold on his brother, and standing beside Gloria, hands on his hips. “So out with it! What’d you pick up from Gerald?”

“Impatience isn’t an attractive trait, mate,” Victor commented, having followed them outside with Charlie right beside him. “Turns the ladies off.”

Gloria noticed the tips of Hop’s ears glow red. “Shove off Vic!” the young teen exclaimed as the men laughed.

“Right then,” Leon cleared his throat, the smile still evident on his face. “The greatest gift from the greatest champion,” he reached into his pockets, pulling out three pokéballs. “It’s showtime you guys.”

Three beams of light were released, forming three forms, and revealed themselves to be a Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble. The three Pokémon knew Gloria already, cheerfully greeting her before popping around the front yard. Grookey climbed the large tree, tapping away at the branch with his tiny stick. Sobble instantly dove straight for the small pond, seeking comfort in the water. Scorbunny ran around like the speedster he was, leaving a small trail of flames in his wake.

Charlie sighed, releasing his Vaporeon and wordlessly pointed to the flames. The water-type let loose a few small squirts of water from her mouth, dowsing the flames.

“All right line up you guys,” Leon ordered, catching their attention. The three Pokémon returned, standing in a line next to Leon. “Who’s going first?”

“Ladies first,” Hop offered, and she rolled her eyes.

“ _Now_ you wanna be a gentleman,” she said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. She studied each Pokémon as she thought about the first three gyms. Milo’s was always first on the list as he tended to go easy on Gym challengers. His typing was grass, something weak to fire. By the time she’d reach Nessa’s water-types, she _should_ have caught a grass or electric-type. “I’ll take Scorbunny.”

Scorbunny bounced over as she crouched down, accepting the high-five he gave her with a smile. Hop decided on Grookey while little Sobble was left standing on his own.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be coming with me,” Leon reassured the small water-type, crouching down as Charizard towered behind him. “Charizard will show you the ropes. He’s strict—but real strong and real kind too.”

As Hop got his newest Pokémon to socialise with Wooloo, Gloria brought out Rookie. The Corvisquire recognised the small fire-type, greeting him with a small pat on the head with his beak.

“What am I going to call you?” Gloria murmured, watching the two Pokémon interact. Scorbunny’s energy was on a whole other level and the large smile he wore was infectious. He was positivity in a small package. “How about Blaze?”

Scorbunny tilted his head before nodding, a wide grin on his face. “Scor!”

“Alright, Blaze it is,” she agreed, hearing a snicker behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she found her two older brothers trying to not laugh. Correction—Charlie was trying to not laugh. Victor was chuckling, holding his brother’s shoulder. “What’s so funny, Chuckles?”

“Arceus, you’ve never been good at names. Blaze?” Victor laughed as she rose to her feet. “Growlie, Rookie…Blaze!”

“Shove it you arse!” she exclaimed, kicking his knee, turning his laughs into groans of pain. “Like you’d do any better.”

“Nah, he’s not clever enough to come up with anything original. He’s used to reading lines someone else wrote for him,” Charlie teased, hands in his pockets before smiling down at Blaze. “Train him well and you’ll breeze through Milo.”

“Aye, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” she agreed just as Hop challenged her to a battle. The only rule was they could only use Grookey and Blaze seeing how they were new additions. Leon supervised the match whilst Charlie and Victor stood on the sidelines. Evie and Sonia eventually joined them, watching the two teens have a battle.

It took three minutes for it to end in a victory for Gloria and she noticed an exchange of money between her brothers. “You bet against me Vic?!”

“Not by choice. _Someone_ had to cheer for Hop,” Victor defended himself as Hop joined her in the protest.

**oOo**

**_That Evening…_ **

Evie, Gloria, and Charlie had finished setting up the two large tables when Victor returned with Nikki waddling beside him. Unlike the rest of the older Aegis siblings, there wasn’t a tearful greeting between her and Leon. As the eldest Grey son was the rival of Nikki’s husband, the two saw each other often enough.

Instead, he helped her to a seat and brought her a plate of food.

“No Teddy?” Leon asked as the two families began digging into the large feast prepared by each matriarch.

“Nah. Couldn’t get any leave,” Victor answered, taking a sip of his beer. “I’m just lucky enough that I just finished filming.”

“That spy movie you were bragging about?” Hop asked and Victor nodded. “When’s that coming out?”

The blond pursed his lips. “For Galar? Probably in six-seven months,” he guessed. “After the Gym Challenge season, I’ll be doing a publicity tour to promote the movie.”

“The fun never stops,” Evie commented, sharing a nod with her brother. If anyone knew what life was like in the spotlight out of the Aegis siblings, it was Evie. The brunette turned to Gloria. “Mum says I can use your room to store my work while you’re away.”

“Just don’t mess it up and go through my things,” she warned her, taking a sip of the orange soft drink. As the conversations continued, Gloria tuned them out, choosing to look over at the Pokémon. All of Charlie’s eeveelutions were in full display, along with Nikki’s three Pokémon. Lopunny was holding Blaze in her lap, feeding him. No doubt practicing for when the baby arrives.

Evie’s Beautifly, Ribombee, Ampharos and Meowstic were happily catching up with Victor’s Roserade and Staraptor—particularly Meowstic sharing her food with Roserade. Leon’s team just seemed happy to relax and chill for once.

Gloria tuned back in when she heard Charlie debating with Leon why mega-evolution was better than dynamaxing. An argument as old as time between the pair and would probably still go on for years to come.

“Arceus, don’t you ever get tired of this argument?” Hop asked, shaking his head. “We all know dynamaxing is superior.”

“Don’t be daft,” Charlie dismissed immediately. “Mega-evolution tests the bond between a trainer and Pokémon. Dynamax just needs a friggen’ power spot and you’re good to go.”

“Wrong mate,” Leon shot back, pointing his fork at the brunet. “You forgot about the band. You’re getting sloppy over there in Sinnoh.”

Charlie flipped him off as Victor laughed. “Quit laughing and back me up here. Mega-evolution is better.”

Victor shrugged as their attention drew to him. “I mean…it’s easier to shoot scenes than with a giant Pokémon. And Lucario’s form is badass.”

“Vic,” Leon shook his head, clearly disappointed as Charlie turned to Evie.

“I know you’re Team Mega,” he said as she stared at her brother. “What?”

“I’m trying to eat my food and you’re over here having a pissing contest with Lee!” she exclaimed, taking a bite out of her bread roll. She chewed a few times, holding up her left wrist. Sitting nicely in the centre of the silver infinity symbol bracelet, was a clear stone with yellow and red waves running through the middle. “Ampharos is majestic in his mega form.”

The attention shifted to Nikki who smiled half-heartedly at Charlie. “Sorry but Dynamax,” she apologised as he waved her off.

“Your apology is as hollow as Rai’s wins against Lee,” he replied, earning laughter from the others. “But it’s expected you’d side with _them_. You’re married to a dyna-maniac. And we all know Hop’s gonna agree with whatever Lee says.”

The table fell silent and Gloria noticed the stares pointed at her. She quickly swallowed the mouthful of grilled chicken and shook her head. “I’m not joining in.”

“Oh come off it! You know it’s mega. It’s in your blood,” Charlie said as Leon snorted.

“ _Half_ of her blood. The other half calls to Dynamax,” Leon reminded his friend before smiling at the young teen. “So which is better, Ria? And don’t worry, we won’t judge you for your answer.”

“Oh no she’s definitely disowned if she says Dynamax.”

Gloria looked between the two men, taking a sip of her beverage as an excuse to stall answering. No matter what she said, one of them would be slightly pissed—or in Charlie’s case, scandalised.

“Both?” she offered as the two adults groaned.

* * *

**Songs: It's Alright, It's Okay by Ashley Tisdale. I'll Be There by Jess Glynne.**

**Glad some of you are enjoying this fic. Please, comment. It's nice to see some kudos but...comments are better.**

**Also, there's a Spotify playlist for this fic which I'll be updating with each song that I listen to for the chapters. It's called Rough Diamond Playlist so check it out.**


	4. Chapter Three - Into The Unknown Team

** Chapter Three: **

** Into The Unknown Team **

**_A Week Later…_ **

**_Postwick…_ **

Something she had discovered about Blaze after spending their first night together—he was a snuggle monster. He made a beeline for her bed and buried himself under her quilt and blankets. The fire-type seemed content to sleep by her side and Gloria had to admit, it was nice having a warm plushie-like figure to sleep with at night.

Second thing she discovered about her newest partner—he was insanely fast. Even without the use of Quick Attack, Blaze had some fast feet. Something she was more than happy to have in battle. But chasing after him had been another thing entirely. He’d zip away when she’d tried to get him back into his ball. Eventually, she just gave up after her father told her that out of the three he gave to Leon, Blaze despised his pokeball.

But she had spent the week training and getting to know Blaze a little better. Most of the time, she had been out in the Wild Area and would return home in the afternoon. Charlie and Sonia had uploaded the Pokedex app onto hers and Hop’s phones. Both of their families had gifted them camping supplies and one of those never-ending space bags that were popular in Kanto. All that was left for them was to grab their Dynamax bands from Professor Magnolia.

“Gloria! You’ll be late for the train if you don’t head off now,” she heard her mother shout from downstairs.

“I’m coming!” she shouted back, fixing her black ripped jeans. Glancing one last time in the mirror, she combed her hair back and tied it up into a small ponytail. _Maybe I should let it grow out more…_

“Gloria Elizabeth Aegis!”

The brunette groaned, grabbing her brown backpack and left her room. Running downstairs, she found Hop waiting in the foyer with her mother and Victor who had Blaze snuggled in his arms.

“Honestly, what could be taking you so long to get dressed? You’re participating in the Gym Challenge. Not Love Islands,” Kathleen clucked her tongue as Blaze jumped out of Victor’s arms and onto her shoulder. “I’ve phoned ahead to the professor to let her know you’re on your way.”

“Thanks Kathy,” Hop smiled, hands in his pockets.

“Call us when you’ve arrived at Motostoke. Be safe you two,” Kathleen told them, looking between the two teens. Victor hugged his little sister before messing with her hair.

“Piss off,” she swiped at him, fixing her hair immediately as he laughed.

“Just have fun you guys. And know I’m betting on you two to take down Lee,” Victor said as Hop beamed. Checking the time on her watch, Kathleen ushered them out of the house.

“We better get going. I can’t wait to get my band,” Hop told her as they walked down the front steps of Gloria’s place. A few Wooloo cried in the distance as the morning sun shone down.

Out of habit, Gloria glanced at the fence that blocked off the Slumbering Weald and found it thrown open. “Hop,” she tugged at his sleeve, pointing it out.

His eyes widened. “Crap. There was a Wooloo there earlier tackling it. I didn’t think it’d actually bust through,” he said and she stared at him.

“You didn’t think a Pokémon using a physical attack move could break down an old wooden fence?” she asked sarcastically, shaking her head at him and headed in.

“What are you doing?” he asked, grabbing her wrist.

“Going to get the Wooloo out of there.”

“But it’s off-limits. Nobody’s supposed to go in there,” he reminded her. “Remember when the professor’s granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state.”

Gloria frowned. “Yeah but I went in there too and came back fine,” she pointed out, shaking off his grip and taking her wrist back. “Look, I’m going in there with or without you,” she said, marching on.

Hop groaned and ran after her, glaring at her smile. “This doesn’t mean you’re right. This is just the kind of scene where you simply have to do what’s needed!”

“Whatever you say, Hop,” she responded, letting Rookie out of his ball when the fog began rolling in. “Remember this place buddy?”

“Corvi,” Rookie chirped, looking around.

“There’s a Wooloo that’s gone missing. Take to the skies and see if you can find him from above,” she instructed as he nodded, taking off. He flew through the trees disappearing from their sight. “Stick close. It’s only fog from here on out.”

“Right,” he murmured, standing closer to Gloria as they began walking through. Blaze was staring at the forest in awe. “That Wooloo…where do you think it got off to?”

“Not sure,” she admitted, taking in the surrounding area. The sounds of many different Pokémon cries, singing their tunes. Barely any sunlight managed to break through the thick leaves on the dozens of trees. The air was cool, a slight breeze running through and stirring up the leaves on the ground. The forest hadn’t changed since she was a child.

 _I wonder if that large Pokémon is still here,_ she wondered, coming across the small pond. “Careful to not slip,” she told Hop as she jumped on the small stone and got across.

“You seem at home in here,” Hop noted as they continued on, walking across the old, stone bridge. Covered in vines, leaves and moss…it had been here for a long time.

“Yeah,” she agreed, smiling a little. “It’s…it’s hard to explain but there’s just something that calls to me in here. And don’t you think it’s fascinating that time just _stands still_ in here?”

He stared at her as she stood still, gazing softly at the dark forest. “Like there’s someone waiting for you in here,” he said, and she whirled around, beaming at him.

“Exactly. I knew you’d get it,” she said and Hop chuckled, lightly elbowing her in the side.

“I still think you’re barmy,” he winked and grabbed her wrist. “We better keep going or else that Wooloo might be in real trouble.”

She followed as they jogged further in. Just as she remembered from her childhood, the deeper they went in, the denser the fog became. Hope kept a hold on her wrist and eventually moved to her hand in order for them to not lose each other.

“This is mad!” Hope swore, squinting his eyes as they slowed to a walk. “I can’t even see my own hand in front of my face.”

“It gets worse the further we go in.”

“I think I get now why this place is off-limits,” he muttered as a large figure appeared in the fog. Hop flinched at the sight of the large, scarred dog-like Pokémon while Gloria beamed.

“It’s you again,” she smiled as its yellow eyes focused on her again. “Thank you for helping Rookie and I out that time.”

It growled low as she held a hand outwards. It stared at the hand for a moment before sniffing it. It’s ears, which had been previously close to its head were standing up straight.

“We need your help again. A Wooloo has gone missing around here,” Ria continued as it pulled back. It howled, the loud sound forcing the teens to cover their ears and more fog was released, covering the area.

“Ria!” Hop called out. “I can’t see anything. You okay?”

“I’m…I’m fine.” She answered, feeling a little weak in the knees and exhaustion washed over her. Her eyelids felt heavy and she struggled to keep them open any longer. It was if the fog itself was sucking all of the energy out of her body. “Hop…”

He called her name again as she collapsed onto the ground, darkness taking her.

**_We have waited for you, children of Alastair and Sander._ **

When she came to, Hop’s golden gaze was staring at her and his brows were furrowed. Behind him were the large, dark trees of the Slumbering Weald. Something warm was on her chest and she looked down, finding Blaze on her with his little paws gripping her grey cardigan.

“Ria, thank Arceus you’re awake,” Hop sighed, holding her tighter in his arms. She soon wiggled out of his arms and rose to her feet, holding the shaking Blaze in her arms. He must’ve been frightened by what happened.

“What happened?” she asked as she put her fingers to her lips, whistling for Rookie to return to her.

“I’m not sure, mate.” Hop admitted. “I was clonked out like you and woke up here. Heard Blaze here crying and saw you unconscious,” he shook his head, staring at her. “Gave me a real fright. Did this happen last time?”

Ria shook her head as she heard Rookie’s cry ring out across the forest. She whistled once more, hearing him draw closer—along with Leon.

“Wha—? Lee?” Hop exclaimed as his older brother broke through some thick bushes along with Rookie. Ria’s Pokémon landed in front of her as Leon checked on the pair. “How’d you manage to find your way here? You’re pants with directions. You always get lost.”

Leon shot him a glare. “Oh, that’s nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick,” he snapped at him before pointing his head at Rookie. “I’d been waiting for ages for you two and when you never showed up, I went to Ria’s place. Rookie found me and brought me to you guys.”

Ria crouched down, stroking her partner’s head. “Thanks for getting help,” she said as he nudged her hand.

“Where’s the Wooloo? We were trying to rescue that Wooloo.”

“The little chap’s fine by the entrance. Charizard is with him,” Leon answered, crossing his arms over his chest. “But you two know this place is off-bounds. However, it took courage to come in here all the same. And I can understand well enough why you did it.”

Hop rubbed the back of his neck, smiling. “At least that Wooloo’s all right.”

“Come on you two, let’s get out of this place. You’ll be all right now that I’m here with you,” Leon said, walking ahead. The two soon followed and Ria noticed Hop sticking close to her side.

“You okay?’ she asked him quietly and he nodded.

“Yeah. Just shaking off the shock,” he reassured her with a smile. “Even if we did get an earful from Lee, what an experience. This’ll make a pretty fine first page in the tale of my legend.”

**oOo**

**_A Few Hours Later…_ **

After a flock of Wooloo halted their train ride to Motostoke, the teens were walking through the smaller Wild Area outside the great city. Eventually Hop parted ways to have one last training session before the opening ceremony tomorrow. They promised to meet up at the stadium so they could sign up together—something the darker teen made her swear by.

As she was walking along the Axel Lake, Rommie flew out of her pocket with Teddy’s ringtone playing. **“Teddy’s requesting a video call**.”

“Put him through,” she instructed, coming to a stop. Blaze jumped out of her arms, choosing to run around the area. “Stick close by where I can see you.”

“Bun!” Blaze answered back, disappearing into the bushes.

“ _Sounds like you’ve got your hands full already,”_ Teddy chuckled as his image flicked onto the small phone screen. He was the spitting image of their father—the same black hair and the Sycamore grey eyes—but he had a large scar across his left eye from a Pyroar a few years ago. Teddy jokes that it’s the only way people could tell him and their father apart. “ _I wanted to wish you luck on your journey. Sorry I couldn’t be there to see you off.”_

Ria shrugged her shoulders. “It’s fine. People in Almia just don’t get how big the Gym Challenge is. They don’t even have a league there.”

“ _Aye but all the same, I’ve missed out on a family reunion. Have you got a game plan?”_

“I picked up a Scorbunny. Both my fire and flying types will be at an advantage against Milo. I just need to get my hands on either an electric or a grass-type for Nessa’s gym. I’ll be able to find a water-type in Hulbury somewhere for Kabu’s gym.”

“ _Good. Make sure to follow through on your plan. I’ve got my TV set up to record all of yours and Hop’s matches. Tell him good luck for me next time you see him.”_

“I will,” she promised as Blaze’s cried out. Frowning, she, and Rookie rushed over to where her smaller Pokémon just as a small explosion erupted. Dirt and dust flew into the air and Ria coughed a few times, swiping it away. “Blaze? Are you okay?”

“Bun, bun,” the small Pokémon confirmed as she discovered a small, lighter coloured Budew shivering behind him. Blaze was protecting it from his stance, and she glanced to where he was glaring. A couple of Nickit were on the ground, clearly injured and growling at Blaze.

 _They were attacking this Budew. Or at the very least antagonising it,_ she realised, running over, and picking up the Budew in her arms. “Rookie, use Air Slash to clear them away,” she ordered as he sprung into action. Using his large wings, he sent gusts of razor-sharp air pockets to whip them away. Only one hung onto the ground and sprinted towards Blaze once the air died down. “Blaze, use Quick Attack.”

Blaze disappeared for a split second before reappearing and knocking into the last Nickit. The collision sent the dark-type flying through the air and landing on the ground, completely knocked out. Seeing the enemy defeated, the fire-type spun around to flash them a wide grin.

“Good job bud,” Gloria complimented and knelt down to gently place the Budew onto the ground. A flash of light caught everyone’s attention and it turned out the source was none other than Blaze himself. Having seen an evolution in progress plenty of times at her father’s day care, the brunette watched in fascination. His body began to grow in height and width, his ears getting longer and flopping down. When the light disappeared, Blaze had finished his evolution and was staring at his paws in fascination.

“ _You got him to evolve already?_ ” Teddy’s voice interrupted her stare, alerting her to the fact that he was still on the phone. “ _That was too quick. What kind of training regime have you been doing with him?”_

“The same one as Rookie’s,” she answered, eyes flicking over to the floating Rotom phone. “Rommie, scan Blaze and bring up his Pokedex entry.”

“ **Okie dokie** ,” she chirped, quickly scanning Blaze’s form and brought the information up on the screen.

_Raboot, the Rabbit Pokémon and the evolved form of Scorbunny. It’s thick and fluffy fur protects it from the cold and enables it to use hotter fire moves. It kicks berries right off the branches of trees and then juggles them with its feet, practicing its footwork._

“Congrats on evolving, Blaze,” she smiled as he checked on the Budew. Seeing how he checked for injuries had Gloria smiling widely. She also couldn’t help but stare at the different coloured Budew. It’s outer layer was a brighter green and the little bits of petal on its front was purple instead of the usual darker green. It took her a moment to realise that the Budew in front of her was an infamous ‘shiny’ Pokémon. Gloria _had_ planned on obtaining a Pokémon for Nessa’s gym and the Budew line tended to have higher special attack stats. “Hey Budew,” Gloria caught its attention and smiled. “How would you like to come with us?”

Budew glanced at Blaze who gave her a nod. Encouraged, Budew walked closer to the teen and lightly tapped its head against the outstretched Pokeball. After disappearing and a few tense seconds later, Gloria had added a Budew to her team.

A quick scan on her Pokedex showed that this Budew was a female and had the ability of natural cure. An ability that would no doubt come in handy during the Gym Challenge.

Gloria released the Budew and pondered over a name. Not wanting for Victor to make fun of her again, she moved away from the obvious choice of Rose. Finally, after musing over a few choices, she smiled at her new Pokémon. “How does the name Pollen sound?”

“Budew,” she chimed happily as Rommie registered the name.

“Welcome to the team, Pollen.”

* * *

**Songs: Into The Unknown by Panic! At The Disco and Team by Tova. Both songs have been added to the Spotify playlist for this fic. Each time I'm writing up a chapter, I add the songs I'm listening to when writing said chapter so think of it as a preview. If you wanna check it out, it's called the Rough Diamond Playlist.**

**Thanks to everyone who's kudos and a special shout out to a_human_called_aoife for your lovely comment! Honestly had me smiling while reading it and I hope you continue to enjoy this fic. More comments are appreciated! Seriously, they make writers post work quicker.**

**Also, this chapter took a while as I've just moved into my new house and getting a new job.**


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